There is no easy way to answer the question of a laser tube’s life expectancy of engraving machines.
People may complain about their tube failing in weeks while some people boast of using the same tube for years.
So, is it all about the luck or there is a logical explanation underlying this mystery.
And obviously, there is an explanation, which is when a tube starts down a failure path it never recovers and the major concern is what plays the trigger for the start of failure path.
The carbon dioxideis the major key player because it is consumable.
The laser tube has the gas sealed inside it and this gas is consumed to generate the beam.
The laser requires the power supply basically to excite the CO2 in the tube, but this electricity depletes the carbon dioxide with time. This is the basic phenomenon on which most laser tubes work.
So, the issue everybody faces is how long the tube will continue working.
For this, there are various manufacturers in the market which claim variant life expectancies on the basis of quality and the prices fluctuate with the quality.
The China Laser Claim up to 1000hours.
The Reci carbon dioxide Laser which is almost 6 times the price of Chinese tubes claims 10000 Hours.
These figures are calculated on the basis of the best and optimal results which are obtained at low power; when used for engraving or marking not for cutting because that requires high power.
So, one thing is clear here that the more power is invested, the more is the risk of losing your tube fast. So, if your tubes are depleted so often using low power can help you; for this keep the power below 60% if that is possible for you and fits the type of work you are doing.
The carbon dioxide in the tube can also leak and if your machine has remained dormant for a certain time and after the period of dormancy and used, but here it has failed to work properly then this may be the issue with the tube.
This will require replacement or mending of the tube.
Another important factor that determines the life of the laser tube is the duty cycle.
If you are using your machine recklessly day and night and expect it to work for ages, then that’s not justified on any grounds.
A proper duty cycle can help here; use the machine for max 2-3 Hours then turn off for 1 hour.
Keep Laser cooling water at low temperature; use a big volume of water.
If water is getting too hot, performance can reduce. If the water is not pumping when the tube is in use, the tube can be damaged and will need areplacement fast.
If you wish to use the machine for more labor-intensive work it is advised to use amachine which is more powerful and get the same job from it.
But here again, there is a concern that more powerful machines arereally expensive with even higher shipping charges.
The life of the laser tube may look unpredictable, but that is a wrong judgment to make because there are various factors which can hamper the efficient working of the laser tube of engraving machines.
Reference: http://www.coletoolcentre.com.au/ctccnc/lasertubelife.pdf
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